Someone said to me the other day, “I have to get a job,” and then he questioned whether it was worth it to look for a job now, in December. Does anyone ever get hired in December? It is a month when businesses are thinking about next year’s budget and they working on the end of this fiscal year, if their fiscal year matches the calendar year.

Yes, the year end is a busy time for business and yes some people do get hired in December. December is an excellent time of year to job search and here’s the main reason why:

• Many people drop their job searches in December because they let the holidays get in the way.
• That means less competition for you, the person who is persistent with your job hunting.

People are often in a better mood at the office around the holidays. The extra food and goodies  brought in add to the holiday spirit. It is a great time to make phone calls and get some connections with  Human Resources people. Pick up the phone and contact  companies you have targeted as places you would want to work.

Don’t let any month or holiday get in the way of your job search. Keep at it. For those of you who wake up saying, “I have to get a job,” get ahead of the crowd and keep looking throughout December.

Here’s a link to search for government jobs. It is the United States Office of Personnel Management website.

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Whenever I hear someone say, “I have to find a job, but” the words that follow are always words of fear and self-doubt. Yes the job market is tough right now and yes there is plenty of competition. If your you let the “but” or the fear paralyze you, then you will still be looking for a job months from now. Look to see what the “but” or fear is telling you.

There are a couple of fears I frequently hear. “I have to find a job, but I don’t have enough experience,” is a common concern. If you know this to be true, then take action. Is it only experience you need, or do you also need more education? If it is just experience, then volunteer somewhere where what you do will relate to the job you are seeking.

I know a woman who wants to work in medical billing. She is currently volunteering at a hospital. If you are in school getting a teaching certificate, improve your chances of getting hired by volunteering at your local Boys and Girls Clubs of America. If you want to work in a veterinarian office, then volunteer at an animal shelter. You can put in just an hour a week of volunteering, so the excuse of not enough time is just an excuse.

Your words of, “I have to find a job, but I don’t have the skills” means you need more education. The woman who is volunteering at the hospital is also signed up to take medical billing classes at a local community college. Many people over 50 are behind in their computer skills and would greatly benefit in getting up to date. Your local community college offers classes to help. I live in Indiana and we have Ivy Tech Community College, which offers many self enrichment classes and programs that can help update your skills.

Pay attention to what concern you have about your job search and do something about it. Volunteer to get experience toward the job you want and take some courses if you need more education. When you take action you can state with confidence, “I have to find a job and I am volunteering and taking a class to improve my skills, so I will get hired.” You are now on the road to landing your job!

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What is job dissatisfaction? It is an employee’s response to their job that can range from feelings of apathy, to depression and despair, to anger, frustration and resentment. It all means a desire to quit and move on to something better and many employees are there right now.

Douglas Matthews, president and CEO of Right Management, a division of Manpower reported that their survey showed 84% of employees planned to look for a new job this year. That compares to 60% of employees who planned to search for a new job at the beginning of 2010. The survey sited the primary reasons for job dissatisfaction were due to workload increases and pay stagnation.

It is a mistake to think that employees will hang on because there are not many other job openings available. The job market is beginning to improve. The most self motivated employees, who are usually the best performing ones too, will find their way to another job if they are currently unhappy.

The wake-up call for companies is to not let the current economy distract them from being aware of the demands that are placed on their employees. Managers must take a look at the present workload placed on their associates compared to what was required a year or 18 months ago. If the work required has increased and employee wages were frozen or increases were minimal, then your employees are in the red zone. It is the zone of job dissatisfaction. Corporate leaders have the power to make changes and improvements for their employees, or risk turnover.

Employee turnover always costs a company money, including lost revenue and intrinsic costs. Most companies are currently in their 4th fiscal quarter. Plans and decisions that are being made now for fiscal 2012 need to include measures to improve employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and increase revenue.

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A man lost his wallet in a public place. He was lucky. It was found by two honest young middle school girls who immediately turned it in to the business office.

When the employees looked into his wallet to find the identity of the owner, they found the man’s social security card. When the man came to claim his wallet, one employee cautioned him about carrying his social security card in his wallet, explaining how easy it would be for him to be a victim of identity theft. He explained that he was carrying his social security card because he was applying for jobs and needed it with him.

First, take the time to memorize your social security number. Second, don’t put your social security number on a job application. You should not feel obligated to provide that information when applying for a job. It does not matter whether you are applying online or on paper. You don’t know who might have access to your information and you don’t want to have someone use your name, address and social security number as their own identity.

If you are asked to complete a job application that requests your social security number, you can write, “will provide upon hire” or you can write dashes and only the last four numbers of your SS number. Employers should eliminate this question on their job applications.

Employers do not need your social security number until they decide to hire you. When you are hired, you and your employer will complete new hire forms, including an I-9. This form is required to be completed to prove you are authorized to work in the US, no matter whether you are hired as a doorman, or the CEO. At this time, you must bring your social security card or birth certificate for your new employer to examine the documents.

Leave your SS card at home, until you are hired. Lost your social security card or have a name change? Here’s the official US government site for the social security administration.

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The unemployment rate in the US has been hanging at  9%  for many months. Many employees have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It is amazing that in this economy there are companies who openly discriminate against the unemployed. Some companies have actually written in their job postings that they will not give as much consideration to unemployed or long term unemployed candidates.

Other companies have stated they will not hire unemployed people. How outrageous is that? It is unthinkable and unconscionable for any company to discriminate against the unemployed. It should be illegal. Kudos to the forward thinking state of New Jersey who passed a law in April that bans discrimination in job postings, whether they are in print or on-line.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) has  introduced two federal bills to stop companies from discriminating against jobless employees. One is called the Fair Employment Opportunity Act. Two days ago he met with other state  representatives, who were all joined by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and USAction, urging support of his bill.

Want to support the bill? Contact your state Representatives and Senators and tell them to support the Fair Employment Opportunity Act. Have you been out of work for more than 6 months? Rep. Hank Johnson wants to hear your story. Take the time to fill out the form. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will find it. Do it for yourself and do it for the other millions of people out of work and still job searching.

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You work for a bad boss. Your friends at work and you are Facebook friends, so you start sharing a few comments about him or her. The boss finds out about your conversations, of course gets angry and decides to discipline you. What can you do? Interesting, the Kiplinger Letter reported that you could report this bad boss to the National Labor Relations Board. Not because he or she is not a good boss, but because social networking comments may be protected speech, just as is talking about work and working conditions in the lunch room or by the water cooler.

There is the start of a big legal mess, so let’s pull in the reins and consider two important points to make, one for the employee and another for the employer:

Employees — Think about it, most bad bosses are not going to be forgiving and overlook the fact that employees are saying negative things about them. Instead they will retaliate and make work life more difficult than it already is for you because remember, this is a bad boss.

• Think before you speak and think before you write.
• Don’t say negative things about your supervisor that can be overheard by others who would love the opportunity to pass your words back to the boss.
• Leave the social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter for sharing about friends and family. If you mention work, don’t write anything negative about your company or your boss. The wrong person will see it, guaranteed.
• If you feel you need to contact the National Labor Relations board, then it must be a serious problem that you are encountering, such as blatant discrimination. The hair on the back of many corporate necks is raised when an employee contacts a labor board. It often causes you more trouble in the long run.

Employers — First realize that employees will complain about their bosses and work  no matter how great working conditions are at the company. If it is known that a supervisor is considered to be a bad boss, then don’t ignore the problem.

• Seek development and training to improve his or her management and leadership skills, so a bad boss can become a good boss.
• Train all supervisors that they cannot discipline employees for a protected activity.
• Train employees to know how destructive negative talk about the company can be when it is displayed on social networking sites. Vendors and customers will see the comments, which can lead to a negative reputation, lost revenue and can ultimately result in  job cutbacks. Employees need to understand how the negativity affects them.

It is the responsibility of both the employer and employees to keep complaining about work and bosses in check and in perspective to the big picture of the company’s mission.

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Want even more tips on how to interview? Sign up for the **FREE** Job Search Methods Revealed Webinar and get an edge over the competition.

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10 Job Search Tips

Learn to Use social media with your job search. Sign up for Linkedin and use it to promote yourself. Recruiters frequently search Linkedin for job candidates.

Become a networking pro. Learn to network comfortably at local events in your area. Be able to network by phone. Learn to use Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter to network and expand your job search efforts.

Prepare more than one resume. Most people look for more than one position. Your resume should reflect the type of job you are applying for. You would not want to send a
resume about all about your training experience, if you are applying for a customer service or sales position.

Be prepared to write cover letters. A basic cover letter is a good to have as a writing foundation. You need to customize it to the job and the person who interviewed you.

Have clothing for 2 consecutive days of interviewing. One set of clothing will not work if you have interviews two days in a row. You at least need two different shirts
or tops.

Be ready to speak about what makes you unique. This means that you really need to know yourself and know what you offer a company.

Prepare questions to ask your interviewer. Don’t ask about pay in the first interview. Do ask questions about the position you are applying for.

Write thank you letters. It a forgotten art to write a thank you letter to anyone for anything. Your interviewer will take notice when you do write a thank you for the
interview.

Listen to inspirational quotes or books before an interview or any time when the job search is disappointing or you feel discouraged.

Take time off from your job search, to do something fun. Follow the Stephen Covey rule of, Sharpen the Saw, so you feel up to continuing your job search.

And one more tip, did you sign up for the **FREE** webinar yet? If so, you are on your way to getting lots more job search information. If not, take a moment now to fill out the form that’s to the right of this blog.

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Follow Through with Interview Follow Up

A successful job search includes interview follow up. You can’t just go to an interview, leave, wait for a call and never do anything else. That’s like a golfer who stops his swing at contact with the ball. The ball won’t go very far, will it? The golfer has to follow through with his swing and you have to follow through with your job search or you won’t go very far. You must follow up after the interview.

The first must do rule for your interview follow up is to get the business card from the person who interviewed you. Imagine trying to write a thank you email to someone and you don’t know how to spell their name. Or worse yet, you might remember your interviewer as Teresa Blackwell, when her name is actually Trisha Blackwall. There is no room for error with the interviewer’s name.

If your interviewer does not present his business card by the end of the interview, be sure to ask for one. Most business cards include the name and title of the person, their email address, phone number, and the address of the business. Check to make sure you have all that information before you leave. Now you can write your thank you email within the next two days.

Another important step for your interview follow up is to find out the next steps of the interview process. You need to know if the company is going to make a decision based on one interview, or if there will be multiple interviews. You can also ask how soon or when they expect to fill a position. That is important information for you to know. Suppose this company is not going to fill their job position for 3-4 months, and you get a job offer in the next two days from someone else. You can see it is important to know a company’s interview process.

In Part 4 I will give you 10 Job Search tips that you won’t want to miss. In the meantime, if you have not already signed up for the **FREE** webinar, take a moment and fill out the form on the right to reserve your place on the call.

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Interview Questions and Answers

There are two interview questions that you are likely to be asked and you need to know how to answer them. The first question is, “Tell me about yourself?” I have only heard of a few times where the job interviewer was actually wanting to know something about you personally. Usually this interview question is not about your personal life. Instead the interviewer wants to hear about your career. They are listening for who you are at work, what your experience and expertise is, and what you have accomplished. Your answer is often referred to as an “elevator pitch,” because you want to sell yourself in a 30 seconds to two minutes, about the length of an elevator ride.

Here’s an example of an interview answer from a medical billing specialist that nails the question, “Tell me about yourself?”:
“I have been in medical billing for five years. This past year I found and corrected billing errors from three neglected accounts, which totaled to over 2 million dollars. That money would have been a huge loss to the company I work for, but I found the errors in time and all monies have been billed appropriately.”

That quickly says how long you have been in the industry and what you have done, which gives the interviewer an idea of what you can do for them.

Give them the WOW factor. Think of the most important thing you have accomplished and work that into your statement. Be sure your statement is factual, and not exaggerated.

Practice saying your statement about you! You don’t want to stumble on your words. Say it confidently and sincerely, so that you are believable.

Another common interview question is, “Why should I hire you?” Think about it, this question is similar to, “Tell me about yourself?” Both interview questions are about your experience and your accomplishments.

The interview answer from the medical billing specialist for, “Why should I hire you?” would sound like this:

“I am an experienced medical billing specialist, who is able to dig into problems, resolve them and recover substantial money for the company. I found over 2 million errors at company ABC, and I can do the same kind of detail work your company.”

You can see the the interview answers are nearly the same, just a bit of a change of words, but the message is the same. It is about what you can do and have done at work.

Both interview questions and answers require that you practice your words. Be able to speak them confidently and smoothly. Practice your interview answers, and then practice them again.

In Part 3 of How to Interview, we will talk about the interview follow up. In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for your place on the **FREE** webinar call to the right of this blog.

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